Here we are, good luck everyone!

Hi love to join you all please. Have lost 34 lbs but could do with some motivation to store going off track. Good luck everyone
😀 Catherine

Here we go…good luck to us all… really hope to make a big loss over these 4 weeks…at the end of it is my spa day with my friends and getting into that turquoise swimsuit 😬… so I need to stay on track! Just taking it a meal at a time and hopefully it all adds up… consistency is where I’ve fallen in the past so I hope to rectify that in these next 4 weeks… I’m still troubled by real carb/sugar cravings…I would love these to disappear it would make life so much easier. I keep focusing on cheese as this is something I enjoy and is BSD friendly…i sometimes google pictures of cheese platters on really tough evenings. I find the evenings are the hardest after my daughter is asleep as I want to reward myself and treat myself and enjoy having a peaceful house…so now I just try and google pictures of cheese to focus on those tastes rather than the sweet stuff…

Hi fellow Zoomers, I am in for another month, but my targets are not about weight, but about shape and fitness.

Hi Mrs Thompson I share your cheese fixation!! I have struggled too with sugar cravings as was a serious 🍫 addict. I would reward myself for surviving the day and when my 8 year old daughter was in bed I would reward myself with chocolate. Its hard to keep it up but can’t afford a slip up. Am in week 9 no 🍫 or sugar just need to keep going. Good luck Catherine

Hi JGwen what exercise are you doing. I have been doing the Couch 2 5k running programme with a running club and it’s great! 😀

I’m in too. Although I think the main target will be nailing a healthy BP.
Maggie

Catherine I completely relate to that surviving the day and feeling like you need a reward! Tonight I’ve felt really hungry and grumpy actually, probably not helped by looking at cheese fondue recipes. Have been also trying to find a low carb option for tortilla wraps and have stumbled across a company called carbzone…if anyone has tried any of their products or has any feedback on them good or bad, please let me know! I’m going to go to sleep now and hope I wake up tomorrow feeling less hungry and more inspired mentally to stick at it. I’m finding it pretty hard sticking with 800 calories and would love to eat more!

Take it a day at a time and have a good 😴. Its important to sleep at least we can’t eat then. Dream of 🧀 not eat it
Catherine
😀

Not a formal exercise program at present Catherine, just life, for example last week on Thursday it was carting hay bales out of the way of the tractor during baling, then Friday it was carting them into the barn. 🙂 – But I have signed up with the gym to get back into using weights a couple of times a week.
I just don’t think that weight loss is the only target we should be discussing, it does seem to me that some people focus intently on the reading on the scales, and we all need to encourage ourselves to remember to look for the NSV’s – None Scale Victories.

Good morning all
Back from the dog walking and happy to report 2 lb gone this week. I’m all for doing a bit more about shaping up. I’ll be moving a few bales myself this week ! I’ve got a problem with my shoulder I’ve torn my trapezoid muscle so weights are out but when it does improve I think I would like to go to the gym. On holiday I enjoyed the swimming and it did help the shoulder, if you can call floundering with one arm going full pelt and the other one flipping like a sunfish in the water.
Mrs T keep focused on the swimsuit!
This weekend we will be away from home so my challenge will be eating a healthy breakfast at the hotel and not going mad at dinner!
Down we go!

I’m half way through the initial 8 weeks, so for this next four weeks I need to keep my focus and not get complacent. I need to stick to what works. 13lbs gone, feeling so much better, clothes look better, fitted into my shorts, improvement in mood is amazing. I also want to keep up the exercises, and gradually increase them, to see if I can find my stomach muscles. I think they must be in there somewhere.

JGwen, quite true what you say about NSV. I was watching a video by Megan Ramos and she was saying how she dropped to 95lbs and was wearing a size 4 but now is 115lbs and wearing a size 0; the difference is in her muscle mass and bone density, which have improved through fasting and triggering of high amounts of Human Growth Hormone.
Good luck everyone, I hope you achieve your goals.
Maggie

Maggie – that is very interesting. I have noticed since doing the intermittent fasting that my face looks younger. I thought I would start looking haggard at just above 9st but I haven’t. I mentioned to a couple of people lately that I am 70 now and they were totally shocked because they said they thought I was in my 50s.

Forgot to say that I am joining this challenge – goal is to improve BS and insulin resistance.

Morning zoomers!

I hear you on the NSV’s JGwen. I haven’t been doing any “formal” exercise either but it’s wonderful how much easier the day to day exercise has gotten, walking the dogs, gardening, playing with the kids. I’m toying with the idea of joining a gym or exercise class in the autumn when kids go back to school.

But the biggest NSV for me has been the improvement in mood! And I say this as someone who has struggled with depression for years, antidepressants, CBT, the works, and it’s ditching the carbs that has made the biggest difference.

But onwards and downwards, I want to continue adding in exercise and lose another 5kgs/11lbs in the next 4 weeks. Might be a bit
ambitious since I’ve definitely been losing slower since going from obese to “just” overweight but it’s something to work towards.

By the way, I was asking about the squishy tummy earlier, and you were right, jeans have definitely gotten very loose despite the scales not showing much of a loss.
Must get measuring again.

I’m in!
I’m also halfway through the 8 weeks and need to retain focus on 800kc a day no more! Especially not if I go to the pub. It will all be counted…
I’ve got 20 lbs to loose to get into the healthy end of BMI so weight loss is my goal but not for weights own sake, for health and well being.
I’m 198lbs today. I was a stone heavier when I started 4 weeks ago.
In that time my blood pressure has dropped from 180/105 to 140/90. A good NSV!
I’m hoping to get that number further down.
Fitting back into some nice Levi’s is another NSV I’m chasing.
Good luck everyone.

What a result Krysia, weightloss and eternal youth all in the same package! That would keep me bumbling along in a happy cloud for quite some time. Congratulations 🤩
Maggie

I’m really liking your results, Krysia! Would you remind me again of the lengths of your fasts? I’ve just managed
4 days of 18/6 by eliminating breakfast. Now I don’t know what to do with 4 cartons of yogurt 🙂 I’d dearly
love to look younger, too! We’re the same age approx. Do you recall how long it took to see a difference in
your face? Thanks!

Not familiar with Megan Ramos, Maggie. HGH interests me too! I’d be interested in her age…

Going to be out of town most of the day, so will catch up later. Have a great one!

Allie

Hi All,
Would like to join this challenge. We got back yesterday from a 10 day holiday in Spain. (Allie, I managed to get a last-minute break after all). I did some walking and kept to low carb food. Blood sugars this morning were good, but I have put on 4lbs. So, my challenge is to get back to my 9st maintenance weight and push on with maintenance.

Haven’t had a chance to read everyone’s posts but will catch up over the next few days, I’m sure.

Hope everyone does really well this month! Here we go…..
Marie
xx

I do envy those talking about aiming for 150lbs, thats a weight I will never achieve. I didn’t report in the final results on last months zoom challenge, but it would have been another week of no weight change – which is a little frustrating as it includes a 46 hour fast that ended yesterday evening. – but again a noticeable inch change. I have had to change to using the tightest eyes when fastening my bras this week.
Just to be clear for those who are newcomers to the forum, you don’t have to fast, Alliecat managed her weight loss without any fasting and achieved a regular loss each week, but thats just not the pattern my body is following, so I have been looking at the recommendations of a range of experts on insulin, am just going with what feels right.

Allie, Megan in her own words:
https://idmprogram.com/idm-patient-profile-september-2014-megan/

Hi JGwen sounds like you are moving a lot with daily life! I try not to fixate on how much weight I have lost but in how I feel. I only weigh once a week. Anymore and the result can affect my mood. If I lose I am happy if I don’t miserable and that’s not good. I celebrate with feeling good, compliments and wearing smaller clothes, sleeping better etc. Good luck Catherine
😀

Well done Ellem that’s a great result. It is a great way of losing weight and you will feel great. Am in week 9 and staying on it till get BMI to normal.
Catherine
😀

Marie how long have you been doing this. Is it possible to maintain this way of eating. You did well to only put 4lbs on whilst on holiday. Good luck Catherine
😀

Hi I am also 198 lbs and want to lose more. Half way with 34 lb lost so far. Its slowed down to about 2lb a week but it is going 👇. Good luck Catherine
😀

Allie – probably started fasting about 2 months ago or maybe a little bit longer (not exactly sure as I am out teaching pilates and won’t be home until late). Have been doing 16/8 or 18/6 for 4 or 5 days a week and have done a couple only of 21 hour fasts. As my weight keeps dropping my face actually is improving – not getting more haggard which I thought it would. So very surprising – could the fasting cause my body to repair.

JGwen, it’s occurred to me that taking l-carnitine which builds muscle and all the farmwork that comes at this time of year you must be developing a lot of muscle. Do l remember you saying you’d got a smart scale but you couldn’t get it to work? It’s a shame that you can’t see what’s happening because I imagine it would be very interesting. I don’t need to tell you that haymaking is incredibly hard work.
Maggie

Hi Catherine, – I think its really important to have a full (and I mean really full from ankle size upwards) set of measurements, and to monitor your fitness levels, not just to focus on the readings on the scales.

Its so easy to get down if the reading on the scales is not what you want, and I have seen different members of this forum over the months fall off the wagon because they were not seeing a change in the scales. But I am sure if they had also been looking for None Scale Victories they would have seen the changes that were happening.

Hi Catherine, – I think its really important to have a full (and I mean really full from ankle size upwards) set of measurements, and to monitor your fitness levels, not just to focus on the readings on the scales.

Its so easy to get down if the reading on the scales is not what you want, and I have seen different members of this forum over the months fall off the wagon because they were not seeing a change in the scales. But I am sure if they had also been looking for None Scale Victories they would have seen the changes that were happening.
I wouldn’t have believed it if you had told me this back in October, but those of us who have a lot to loose have an advantage, repeated cycles of low carb helps us adapt to this way of eating so that your taste buds change and you can easily adopt it as a change for life.

Hi MaggieBath, I do like the advice from the link you provided that the best days for fasting are days you are going to be busy so will not have the time to think about food so much. I think the skin on the bottom of my feet is too thick for the smart scales to get a reading. – Serves me right for spending so much time walking around barefoot.

Alliecat, I think I have seen before people talking about combining yoghurt with frozen cherries to create a BSD friendly ice cream. – Sounds like a useful tip for the temps you have been talking about.
I don’t think that L-carnitine builds muscle as much as helps get energy to the muscles. I do notice that I feel so much warmer than normal, there have been times during this dry spell that I have been warm enough to sweat.

JGwen, I’ve been digging to find out about it and there’s a fairly remarkable report about centenarians and l-carnitine.
https://uk.reuters.com/article/health-carnitine-dc/the-very-old-may-benefit-from-l-carnitine-idUKPAR16547620080102
No offence!! I also found a report that said in trials with mice they were warmer after taking it. Heating bills will be down this winter!
Maggie

I can only echo what JGwen is saying. I’ve got a fit bit hr and i have noticed that I’m able to get into the peak zone for longer periods. My clothes are looser and bending down to tie shoelaces , well that used to feel as though I was being cut in half and could not breath. It’s much easier now. My energy levels are much higher, instead of saying oh I will finish this tomorrow, I’m finishing it today! I’m in a better frame of mind all round, so even if the scales don’t move, I am reaping the benefits in other ways. I do wish I had taken full measurements!
I tried mixing frozen raspberries with yogurt, delicious just added a sprinkle of ground almonds on the top. Did not think about freezing it, will try that next time.
Oh another thing, I used to wait until there were several things to go upstairs, I just kept leaving them at the bottom of the stairs. Now. I run up and down as often as possible. Another NSV..
Have thought about smart scales like the aria but not made the purchase yet. I’m always barefoot as often as possible so perhaps they may not work for me either. All food for thought!

I’ve got Renpho which sync to Fitbit and their own app.

JGwen – not sure if you read my post in The Take a Look at This thread thanking you for introducing me to L- Carnatine. Even though I had recovered from the severe muscle damage caused by statins 6 years ago I was left with muscle weakness that has never gone away. I started taking the l-Carnatine 48 days ago. Not sure quite when I began to notice my glutes and leg muscles getting stronger but they were day by day noticeably getting stronger.

I thought that this was very strange so googled l-Carnatine and statin damage and came across this very interesting article https://spacedoc.com/articles/dr-sinatra-coq10-and-carnitine. I have been taking CoQ10 and magnesium because they did help with the initial myalgia. Dr Sinatra says that in some patients this does not fully resolve the issue with statins, until he added L-carnitine to the program. The carnitine enabled the muscles to rebound. This feels exactly what is happening.

So I am so grateful that you posted the info. On Sunday we were walking up a very steep hill that I usually struggle to get up but on Sunday my legs and bum muscles just powered me up effortlessly. So weird though that the muscles are improving so fast.

The research he quotes isn’t that new – but it is really interesting and it seems to be helpful in preventing muscle loss as we age and for vegetarians.

Thanks for that link Maggie-bath,
I have been a vegetarian all my life, and have had doctors scratching their heads for most of my adult life because I had the cold body temps and all the other symptoms of an under active thyroid but blood tests for thyroid levels put me just in the above the bottom value for the NHS accepted normal range. I think my body is right now just going through a period of catching up.
Its interesting that the research you quoted says “Cholesterol levels fell significantly among the individuals taking the supplement, they report. ” That may be relevant for others on the forum.

Thanks Catherine – Funnily enough I always do well on holiday. We’ve always catered for ourselves on holiday so foods not a problem, I’m usually more active sightseeing, walking etc and I’ve never really drunk much alcohol so I often come back the same or with a small loss – but 4lbs is not too bad. A great time was had by all so I’m happy with that.

I started BSD early August 2017 so I’ve been doing it for coming up to one year. I did continuous 8 week cycles from August to April this year when I reached my 9st goal weight. My total weight loss was 74lbs (this includes 16lbs I’d lost dieting before I switched to BSD). I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes last August and that’s really what helped keep me focused. I’m so glad I did it; my blood sugars are back in the normal range, my BP is now consistently in the normal range (it was veering between high and pre-high), my BMI has gone from 36.5 to 23. Like Zinny, Amarela and others have said I have so much more energy, I can move more freely, up and down stairs without my knees hurting, up slopes without struggling to breathe – it’s such a relief and release!

As far as maintenance, it’s early days for me – I’ve only been maintaining since April. But you absolutely can maintain this woe because others on the forum have done it/are doing it. If they can do it so can we – definitely.

Personally, even though I was a chocoholic, crispoholic, etc, I don’t find eating low carbs etc a problem now (and don’t forget you’ll be eating more cals in maintenance). What I’m finding challenging is doing other things differently – e.g. learning to cook more from fresh and with a wider variety of food, just being more active on a day to day basis – not things I did before so personal challenges to me.

I can never remember who (apologies, I really must look it up) but someone says you learn how to do this woe as you go; I think that’s true of maintenance, too. I’m a bit of a perfectionist so that helps me not beat myself up too much when things go awry.

34lb is a great weight loss result! Keep going, Catherine – you really are doing brilliantly xx
Marie

apropos of nothing at all – been catching up with last month’s challenge posts this morning. Great new challenge title from blackspot but wish we’d included the rest of it ‘Zoomers! To August & beyond! – sod the poetry’

Marie xx

Wow so much knowledge on this forum! I’m learning huge amounts here! Catherine and Marie the amount of weight loss you’ve had is inspiring, well done for all your achievements so far! I’m just over halfway with the 8 weeks, and weighed myself this morning. I’m 4 1/2 pounds from my goal weight! My big concern and I guess my fear is how to transition to larger, more normal size meals without putting the weight on. I’ve worked hard to get to this point and the thought of going backwards scares me. At the same time, by the evening I am hungry living on 700-800cals so I will need to increase the calories to be able to live! Does anyone have any advice about how to transition to a maintenance diet?
I better lose these 4 1/2 pounds first though…don’t want to get carried away thinking about the next stage…but any advice would be gratefully received xx

Krysia, apologies I just couldn’t remember where the l-carnitine information came from. Honestly, the Take a Look at This thread is a treasure trove of links!
Maggie

Marie – I agree, I should have included the “sod the poetry” as it made me chuckle! Glad you managed to get a last minute holiday!
Mrs T, there is a maintainers thread and I think I read somewhere to increase your daily amount by 50 cals, for a week and see what the scales register. Keep doing that until you start to gain, then you’ll know where your limit is.
I love the knowledge on these boards!
Kazzee

Hi MaggieBath,
If you want to trace it back to the first source the link I posted to a Dr Bikman podcast was about 2 to 3 months ago on the take a look at this thread. – I was worried about people taking supplements without understanding / researching the reason and if they needed them. – so I wouldn’t give people the name of the supplement but recommended people watch the pod cast for themselves.

Thank you JGwen – I’ll have a search and listen again to it. I can never have too much repition and reinforcement, it’s the way stuff eventually finds its way into my brain 🙂
Maggie

Hi KrysiaD,

I am glad to have helped. Out of interest how much l-Carnatine are you taking. I am only taking 1g a day. I did experiment with taking 1.5gs and 2gs a day and found I was unbearably hot, so went back to 0.5g in a morning and the same in the late afternoon.

There was a mention about statins in this podcast that I listened to today that you may find interesting.
https://www.kevinrose.com/single-post/valter-longo

Thanks kazzee have checked out the maintenance forum…not there yet though, got this final push to get there! kOKO!

Thanks for your reply Marie you have done so well and great to see you are maintaining without too much difficulty. I am on my second 8 week cycle and am going to do what you did and keep going back to back until goal. I too am trying to get adventurous with food as I tend to have similar menus so need to try more things. I hope your 4lbs does not stay on to long!!Catherine
😀

Hi, Marie! I don’t know if I’ve ever read your story in it’s entirety, so thank you for sharing it today.
I never tire of hearing about such accomplishments 🙂 How clever of you to sneak off for an
unscheduled holiday too! Delighted that you enjoyed it.

Allie

Krysia, thank you too, for detailing your 2 month intermittent fasting journey. It gives me confidence
that I can continue with it too. It’s only taken me 2 years to attempt it! I’m usually awake by 3:00am
(not by choice) and have first cup of coffee (black) at 6:00am. I’ve just discovered that if I have it
iced, with some unsweetened almond milk in it, I can easily make it to 1:00 – 2:00pm without getting
the growling stomach. Hot and black, that isn’t the case! I’m trying for 5 days of 18/6, and 2 days
of 16/8, and hope to see the same improvements in my skin that you have. It’s great to have a
specific goal to work toward. Very much appreciated!

Allie

Hi everyone, I’ve decided to join in th challenge once again. I went completely off track during the last one and GAINED almost 2kg instead of losing 2kg as I had wanted! My own fault – I thought being on leave from work would make sticking to BSD easier but it was the opposite unfortunately. Then last week I realised it was halfway through the year – meaning I now only have 6 months if I want to keep to my personal challenge of losing 18kg in 2018. I just haven’t been able to get back into the groove so to speak since Christmas, and my weight has repeatedly gone up and down by the same few kilos.
So line in the sand moment for me! My challenge for the next 4 weeks is to go back to basics and get back on plan, and hopefully reverse my recent gain. I’m going to try 16:8 this week, so no breakfast for me this morning, just a cup of tea. I just hope my stomach doesn’t start growling when I’m in meetings this morning!

Good luck sueblue, hope this morning goes well and you get back into the routine of it easily.
last night I actually dreamt I ate a large, gorgeous, iced cupcake with a packet of party ring biscuits…felt relieved when I woke up and realised i hadn’t actually..it had felt so real…the icing was so thick and swirly I could stick the party ring biscuits into it to give some crunch. Clearly I have a way to go before carbs and sugar lose their grip on me, but I hope with more time the desire will reduce…but I think I’m so severely addicted each day will be a challenge…I’ve never eaten anything and thought “that’s too sweet ” like my friends and family have.
Anyway wishing you all success and positivity for today…let’s KOKO!